Lots of comments and lists on our AFI Screen Legends page…..so we figured it was time to list all the rankings by some of our commenters. N/A means the actress did not make that person’s Top 25.
Actor AFI bob bob cox Flora Joel Phil Steve UMR
Fred Astaire 5th 15th 20th 4th 3rd 11th Top 25 21st
Lionel Barrymore N/A N/A 23rd N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Humphrey Bogart 1st 4th 6th 1st 13th 2nd Top 25 4th
Marlon Brando 4th 11th 3rd 6th N/A 5th Top 25 N/A
Richard Burton N/A N/A 9th N/A N/A 21st N/A N/A
James Cagney 8th 13th 22nd 12th 6th 12th Top 25 20th
Charles Chaplin 10th 2nd N/A 22nd 4th 6th N/A 10th
Ronald Colman N/A N/A N/A N/A 7th N/A N/A N/A
Gary Cooper 11th 8th 11th 17th N/A 7th Top 25 1st
Bing Crosby N/A 6th 16th N/A 11th N/A N/A 11th
James Dean 18th N/A N/A N/A 1st N/A N/A 16th
Kirk Douglas 17th N/A N/A 14th N/A 17th Top 25 N/A
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. N/A 19th N/A N/A N/A 24th N/A N/A
W.C. Fields N/A N/A N/A N/A 5th N/A N/A N/A
Errol Flynn N/A 17th 19th 18th N/A 25th Top 25 19th
Henry Fonda 6th N/A 14th 7th 23rd 10th Top 25 9th
Glenn Ford N/A 21st N/A N/A N/A N/A Top 25 N/A
Clark Gable 7th 3rd 7th 9th 25th 9th Top 25 5th
Cary Grant 2nd 5th 2nd 2nd 15th 3rd Top 25 2nd
Rex Harrison N/A N/A 24th N/A 19th N/A N/A N/A
Charlton Heston N/A 16th 17th N/A N/A 22nd Top 25 N/A
William Holden 25th 24th 13th 23rd 20th 19th Top 25 N/A
Bob Hope N/A 12th N/A N/A N/A N/A Top 25 13th
Rock Hudson N/A 22nd N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Buster Keaton 21st N/A 15th 20th N/A 23rd N/A N/A
Gene Kelly 15th N/A N/A 15th 22nd 16th Top 25 N/A
Alan Ladd N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Top 25 N/A
Burt Lancaster 19th 20th 18th 16th 18th 15th Top 25 22nd
Charles Laughton N/A N/A N/A N/A 2nd N/A N/A N/A
Jerry Lewis N/A N/A 25th N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Fredric March N/A N/A 5th N/A 12th N/A N/A N/A
Marx Brothers 20th 25th N/A N/A 9th N/A N/A 15th
Ray Milland N/A N/A N/A N/A 24th N/A N/A 23rd
Robert Mitchum 23rd N/A N/A 19th N/A 18th Top 25 18th
Robert Montgomery N/A N/A N/A N/A 17th N/A N/A N/A
Laurence Olivier 14th 25th 4th 21st 21st 14th N/A 24th
Gregory Peck 12th 10th 8th 11th N/A 13th Top 25 8th
Sidney Poitier 22nd N/A N/A 13th N/A 20th N/A N/A
William Powell N/A N/A 12th N/A 16th N/A N/A 14th
Tyrone Power N/A 14th N/A N/A N/A N/A Top 25 12th
Edward G. Robinson 24th N/A 21st 25th 10th N/A N/A N/A
Frank Sinatra N/A 18th N/A 8th N/A 25th N/A N/A
James Stewart 3rd 7th 1st 3rd 14th 1st Top 25 3rd
Robert Taylor N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Top 25 N/A
Spencer Tracy 9th 9th N/A 10th 8th 8th Top 25 7th
John Wayne 13th 1st 10th 5th N/A 4th Top 25 6th
Orson Welles 16th N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 17th
Richard Widmark N/A 23rd N/A 24th N/A N/A Top 25 N/A
Hi AFI Revisionist Gang,
Lots of interesting lists of peoples’ favorite actors. I’ll be working on mine, but before we leave off the original topic of this page, I thought it would be interesting to have a consolidated ranking of the top classic male stars based on all the lists in the chart above. Hence, I have assigned weighted scores to all the stars above by allotting points to each actor on the following basis: if someone ranked the actor as first, the actor received 25 points; if someone ranked the actor as #2, the actor received 24 points…and so on, up to one point for a #25 ranking. As Steve did not provide us with a ranking for his selection, I was not quite sure what weight to place on the actors on his list. Arbitrarily, I just gave every-one on his list 3 points. I have included the AFI ranking in this exercise, but Joel’s scores were excluded as I think it has been mentioned that he is maybe using very different criteria than the rest due to his odd exclusions of John Wayne, Marlon Brando and Gary Cooper (also, as Joel no longer exists, he is not able to complain about being excluded – sorry Joel).
The resulting list contains 31 actors plus the Marx Bros, as the rest had relatively negligible scores. I have indicated the number of points calculated for each actor, so that someone may want to check my math in case I made a mistake.
So this is now the ultimate Classic Male Legend list, the one that brings together the ones from AFI, Bob, Bob Cox, Flora, Steve, Bruce/UMR and myself. Again, these lists were not supposed to represent our favorite actors, but those that we objectively feel are the greatest film legends who began their careers by 1950 at the latest (as per the AFI cut-off date). If others wish to provide their own lists, this consolidated ranking can of course be revised.
1. Cary Grant (143)
2. Humphrey Bogart and James Stewart (tied at 141)
4. John Wayne (120)
5. Clark Gable (119)
6. Marlon Brando and Gary Cooper (tied at 104)
8. Gregory Peck (97)
9. Spencer Tracy (90)
10. Fred Astaire (83)
11. Charlie Chaplin (80)
12. Henry Fonda (77)
13. James Cagney (58)
14. Laurence Olivier (54)
15. Burt Lancaster (49)
16. Bing Crosby (45)
17. Gene Kelly and Errol Flynn (tied at 35)
19. Kirk Douglas (33)
20. Bob Hope (30)
21. William Holden, Robert Mitchum and Tyrone Power (tied at 29)
24. Frank Sinatra (27)
25. Charlton Heston and William Powell (tied at 26)
27. Buster Keaton (25)
28. Sidney Poitier (23)
29. Richard Burton (22)
30. Fredrich March (20)
31. James Dean and The Marx Brothers (tied at 18)
Very nicely done PhilHoF17….you are proving why you are a member of our Hall of Fame. I like how you put this together….and the list looks pretty good to me. Funny line about Joel…..as you say he can not complain…lol.
When looking at the Top 25….19 or 78% of the AFI list is included…..with Keaton, Poitier, Dean and Marx Brothers in the Top 31….only leaving out two of the AFI legends….Edward G. Robinson and Orson Welles…..I guess Orson, Edward and Joel can got to the same bar in heaven and talk about how they get no respect…lol.
Cary Grant on the Top works for me…..though his lack of Oscar wins and few nominations leave those opposed to the rankings….a great place to start arguing against his ranking.
All of these lists are making me feel I need to make a page versus a post……as well as a way to get all the information in an easy to read format.
Once again…..thanks for doing this…..it is greatly appreciated….and lots of fun to dissect and study. A big round of applause for you.
Well, I started with the ladies, so here are my favorite gents:
Montgomery Clift
Cary Grant
James Stewart
James Mason
Dirk Bogarde
Joseph Cotten
Gary Cooper
Burt Lancaster
Charles Laughton
Laurence Olivier
Robert Mitchum
Tyrone Power
Errol Flynn
Robert Taylor
Rock Hudson
Fredric March
James Cagney
William Powell
James Dean
John Garfield
Clark Gable
Paul Newman
Marlon Brando
Keir Dullea
James Caan
Tony Curtis
Bruce Willis
Liam Neeson
Michael Fassbender
Richard Attenborough
Robert Donath
Michael Redgrave
George Sanders
Fred MacMurray
Vincent Price
John Gielgud
Anthony Hopkins
Orson Welles
Henry Fonda
Ralph Richardson
Edward G. Robinson
Trevor Howard
James Garner
Robert de Niro
Leslie Howard
Jeff Chandler
Boris Karloff
Charles Coburn
Alan Ladd
Hugh Grant
As with the ladies, I’m sure I forgot a few…but this one was easier for me to do. Lots of british actors on this list, but I am sure they all made movies with major releases in the US. I really enjoy british classics!
I enjoy British classics too. I love how we all have different favourites.
Hey Lupino….thanks for sharing your Top 50…..happily we have UMR pages on 40 of your favorites…..some big surprises on your list…..with Keir Dullea and Richard Attenborough on your list. Thinking about how to put all of these lists in a format so everybody can easily read the information. Glad Bruce Willis got a spot….eyes tearing up that Sir Michael Caine did not get on the list…lol.
Hey Bruce,
sorry about Michael Caine, I really like him, my fav movie without much thinking would be Educating Rita. But then, there are so many others…as Flora so eloquently said,”I love how we all have different favourites.”
Attenborough starred in many great british movies, Brighton Rock, The Guinea Pig, The Man Upstairs, The Angry Silence…
About Keir Dullea: I haven’t seen a lot of his movies, but he did impress me decades ago in Madame X, Bunny Lake Is Missing, David and Lisa and of course 2001.
nice, I am glad you joined us . welcome back. very powerful acting in your list. and thankfully no tom cruise yet. no peer pressure and no tom cruise ( i must confess, i love several of his movies. forgive me) LOL. who were your hardest cuts? who do you really not like? excuse me for prying inquiring minds want to know you better.
Hello bob,
no prying on your part, it is always nice to be “noticed” with a post when so many others seem to post much more interesting comments.
I must admit that it was much harder for me to do my fav actresses. Many actors that I like a lot have been mostly famous for action/western/war movies, genres that I usually don’t appreciate (there ARE exceptions, of course!). So, despite The quiet Man and his Dietrich co-starrers, John Wayne didn’t stand a chance to make my list.
The hardest cuts were probably Kurt Russell, Paul Muni (don’t really know why I choose Alan Ladd over him, might have been the Peekaboo bonus), Ed Harris, John Mills, Stanley Baker, Robert Ryan, Ryan O’Neal, Joel McCrea (loved him in Sullivan’s Travels, Palm Beach Story, but not in his westerns), Nick Nolte and Al Pacino.
Two actors I’m ambivalent about are Brad Pitt and Mel Gibson.
Actors I really don’t like? Am I ready to be tared and feathered in public?
Bob Hope
Danny Kaye
Vin Diesel
Jerry Lewis (whom I adored as a kid)
Kirk Douglas (tar)
Chuck Heston (feathers)
Guess I better go clean myself up and lick my wounds 😉
Here is my list of Top 50 Favourite Actors as Bob Cox suggested. As you will see, they all started their career before 1970. I love the Golden Age of Hollywood.
1. Gregory Peck
2. Richard Widmark
3. Glenn Ford
4. Humphrey Bogart
5. Cary Grant
6. Jimmy Stewart
7. Frank Sinatra
8. Clark Gable
9. Fred Astaire
10.Gene Kelly
11.William Holden
12.Henry Fonda
13.Steve McQueen
14.Spencer Tracy
15.Paul Newman
16.Robert Redford
17.Robert Montgomery
18.Robert Mitchum
19.Robert Ryan
20.William Powell
21.Errol Flynn
22.Sidney Poitier
23.Kirk Douglas
24.Burt Lancaster
25.Jack Lemmon
26.James Mason
27.Ronald Colman
28.James Cagney
29.Orson Welles
30.Montgomery Clift
31.Dick Powell
32.Lee Marvin
33.Yul Brynner
34.Buster Keaton
35.Tony Curtis
36.John Garfield
37.James Garner
38.Claude Rains
39.Martin Sheen
40.Danny Kaye
41.Jack Nicholson
42.Laurence Olivier
43.Edward G. Robinson
44.Clint Eastwood
45.Gene Hackman
46.Michael Caine
47.Charles Bronson
48.Anthony Quinn
49.Raymond Burr
50.James Coburn
Names I crossed off from my master list include Peter O’Toole, Peter Sellers, James Dean, Richard Burton, Dustin Hoffman, and Charlton Heston.
Good list Flora. I think I’ll use your list to help compile my top 50 list, that’s how lazy I am. 😉 And in all in good old fashioned alphabetical order too.
Great list, thanks for sharing. especially those last cuts and your well appreciated exclusion of wayne, hope, brando. knowing who we do not like is huge in this process. I really enjoy your comments, bob cox
Top 10 Favorite Actresses
Sandra Bullock
Doris Day
Audrey Hepburn
Grace Kelly
Jennifer Lawrence
Shirley MacLaine
Julia Roberts
Elisabeth Shue
Maggie Smith
Sigourney Weaver
I will have to think about favourite actresses awhile before I post my list.
We might want to put the Actress lists on The Top AFI Actress page.
lovely, now I am going to have to binge on Maggie smith and Elizabeth shue movies to see what I am missing. I think I will start with that incredibly credible UMR. OH NO! no sites for these 2, so much for off to see the wizard : ^ ) LOL! . thanks for sharing, thanks for everything . yea Cogerson. consider this a request, bob cox
it may not be what others are doing. but in response to my own challenge. my favorites regardless
1.james stewart
2.dustin Hoffman
3.paul newman
4.cary grant
5. Anthony Hopkins
6.tom hanks
7.clint eastwood
8.robert duvall
9.johnny depp
10. Sidney poitier
11.jack lemon
12.russell crowe
13sean connery
14. gene Hackman
15. Richard burton
16.spencer tracy
17.humphrey bogart
18.john wayne
19. Robert redford
20.robert deniro
21richard dreyfus
22 kevin Costner
23 Harrison ford
24 William powell
25 kevin spacey
26.bruce willis
27.matt damon
28 mel Gibson
29robin Williams
30.john Travolta
31.morgan freeman
32.tim robbins
33kevin kline
34jeff bridges
35al pacino
36will smith
37frederick march
38william hurt
39steve martin
40gregory peck
41matthew mcconaughey
42john goodman
43forest whitaker
44james garner
45john candy
46bill murray
47donald Sutherland
48brad pitt
49 peter otoole
50.john cusack
wow! I learned a lot about me. cutting this list and seeing the greats cut. no brando, no Nicholson, no dean, no McQueen, the final cuts denzel Washington, heath ledger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher plummer. and toughest no john beluchi, great fun!!!! please let me see your favorites , as many as you can. this list proves I love to laugh more than I am impressed with great acting ability. this is very personal. I applaud Cogerson and Flora just for sharing their top 3. I started with UMR legend chart and 1950 to 2010, added cogerson top 100, all Oscar best actor and best supporting actor,then a few of my own. sure I missed a couple, help me.
Interesting list bob. Lots of favrites on there. If I get my internet back I might make a list too. Brave of you yo leave out legends like Brandi and Nicholson. Not sure I could do that. Forest Whitaker instead og Steve Macween? Whoa! But this are your personal favrites
Thanks for sharing your top 50 favourite actors. I’ll try to come up with my own.
My favorite actors in alphabetical order….yes some of these are considered bad actors (Bloom, Nelson, Bruce of the last 5 years)…..but I am a pretty loyal person. Should be 50.
Christian Bale
Jason Bateman
Michael Biehn
Orlando Bloom
Humphrey Bogart
Steve Buscemi
James Caan
Michael Caine
Chevy Chase
James Coburn
Sean Connery
Donald Crisp
John Cusack
Richard Dreyfuss
Clint Eastwood
Errol Flynn
Harrison Ford
Morgan Freeman
James Garner
Mel Gibson
Ryan Gosling
Cary Grant
Hugh Grant
Gene Hackman
Tom Hanks
Charlton Heston
Samuel L. Jackson
Michael Keaton
Denis Leary
Jack Lemmon
Dean Martin
Walter Matthau
Steve McQueen
Roger Moore
Bill Murray
Paul Newman
Judd Nelson
Jack Nicholson
Gregory Peck
Chris Pratt
Robert Redford
Sam Rockwell
Kurt Russell
James Stewart
Denzel Washington
John Wayne
Robin Williams
Bruce Willis
Owen Wilson
Anton Yelchin
Lots of legends not on this list…..I respect them…and in many guess they are indeed Screen Legends…just not my personal favorites.
Interesting list. I know you love a lot of current (still alive and working) stars. I decided to order mine in preference, although really for me Astaire and Kelly are tied and Douglas and Lancaster are tied.